FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for the production of a honeycomb body from high temperature-resistant sheet metal layers which are wound and/or stacked in a layer-wise manner.
Such honeycomb bodies are used in particular as catalyst carrier bodies for exhaust gas systems of internal combustion engines and are known, for example, from International Publication WO 89/07488, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,743. Honeycomb bodies which are used as exhaust gas catalyst carrier bodies are used with a catalytically active coating for cleaning exhaust gases in motor vehicles and are both mechanically as well as thermally heavily loaded. Besides thermal and mechanical loadings, the honeycomb body is exposed to attacking gas components which are present in the exhaust gas. In particular, a high level of resistance to corrosion with respect to the sheet metal layers is desirable in regard to the durability of such a honeycomb body.
It is already known from European Patent 0 159 468 B1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,001, that the sheet metal layers which are used are preferably formed of a steel sheet with a high aluminum content. However, such a material gives rise to problems by virtue of the poor rollability of steel with a high proportion of aluminum and because of the costs which are involved in that situation in the production of such a sheet metal layer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,139 also deals with that problem. That patent proposes a sheet metal layer to be used for honeycomb bodies, which is formed of an aluminum-plated steel. Such sheet metal layers can be processed inexpensively within certain limits.